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Every way to get from Boston to Martha's Vineyard in 2026. SSA ferry, Island Queen, Hy-Line, Cape Air flights, bus, and train with verified fares.
There is no direct ferry from Boston to Martha's Vineyard, so every route has a connection, but the 75-mile trip to Martha's Vineyard is simple once you see the options: drive, bus or train to a ferry, fly, or mix them.
Filmed March 2026
Walk-on ferry tickets
Buy your Steamship Authority ticket before you reach the dock
Passengers need no reservation: buy in the SSA app or online and show the code at the gate. An adult round trip was $22 when we checked in September 2026. Bringing a car? That takes a separate vehicle reservation.
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The Steamship Authority ticket office in Vineyard Haven. Walk-on passengers can skip it: tickets bought online or in the SSA app go into Apple Wallet and get scanned at the gate. The window handles cash, questions and vehicle paperwork.
This is the only car ferry, and it runs 365 days a year, 45 min to Vineyard Haven. 20+ daily departures in summer (also to Oak Bluffs through October 22; four Oak Bluffs round trips a day after September 10).
A walk-on ticket is $11 one-way with no reservation needed. A car costs $127 Mon–Thu / $168 Fri–Sun in peak season, by reservation only (bookings opened Feb 3, 2026, and sell out fast). There's no parking at the terminal; the SSA lots in Falmouth are $25/day with a free shuttle. In summer, 1 hour early is about right.
The Island Queen carries passengers from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs in season and lands you right in town.
35 minutes, $20 one-way / $30 round-trip, from 75 Falmouth Heights Rd. The 2026 season runs May 22 through October 12, passengers only. Reservations are online (new for 2026), and every passenger needs a ticket, including kids 4 and under (theirs is free, but book it). Youth 5–12 pay $14 one-way / $18 round-trip, active military $15 / $20, bikes $4 / $8, and kayaks or paddleboards up to 12 feet $6 / $12. Parking is $20/day, cash only. For day trips it's the best value.
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1 hour, $42 one-way / $80 round-trip, which since October 2, 2026 includes a $3 per person one-way fuel surcharge. The catamaran leaves 220 Ocean St, Hyannis, May–Oct (last 2026 run Oct 25) and can sell out even in mid-September. Parking is $30/day peak on-site (less off-site and off-season).
Old pilings in choppy water on a windy day. The Seastreak from New Bedford lands in Oak Bluffs, and skipping the Cape bridges helps on a summer Friday when the roads back up.
50 min, $49 one-way / $84 round-trip, or $55 for a same-day round trip, April 16–Oct 12. New Bedford is 55 miles from Boston via Route 24, and the drive never crosses the Bourne or Sagamore bridges. MBTA commuter rail now runs from Boston to New Bedford (~1h40m). Valet parking is $30/day.
Logan Terminal C to MVY takes 40 minutes, with 13+ daily flights in summer from about $199 one-way. Our MVY airport guide covers every airline, parking and the free bus from the terminal. The 9-passenger Cessna and Tecnam planes can't take bikes or surfboards, and fog at MVY causes most delays.
JetBlue flies Logan to MVY late June–October, up to 6 times a day in peak summer, on Airbus A220-300 jets. Fares move around and have dropped as low as ~$84 one-way in September.
Tradewind flies Bedford/Hanscom to MVY in ~30 min on a semi-private Pilatus PC-12, from $295 one-way, June 18–October 12, 2026 (an extended season).
Peter Pan Bus runs year-round from South Station and Logan Airport straight to the SSA Woods Hole pier (and to Hyannis): $24–40 one-way depending on date and how early you book, ~1.5–2 hours. Plymouth and Brockton is similar, ~$30 to Woods Hole. Bus and ferry tickets are sold separately.
The CapeFLYER runs South Station to Hyannis for $22 one-way / $40 RT, Fri–Sun from Memorial Day–Labor Day, in ~2.5 hours. Kids under 11 and bikes ride free; the café car has beer and wine. A free SSA shuttle meets it at Bourne station (Sat/Sun). Super Summer Sunday: $20 same-day round trip, July through September.
Boston to Woods Hole: 75–80 miles, 75–90 min without traffic, 3–4+ hours on summer Fridays.
The Bourne and Sagamore bridges are the bottlenecks, worst on Friday noon–8 PM, so leaving before noon or after 9 PM helps. MassDOT alerts list bridge lane restrictions before you drive; spring repair work on the Bourne Bridge wrapped up in May 2026.
We would leave the car on the mainland, park at the SSA Falmouth lots ($25/day) and walk on the ferry. VTA buses are fare-free on-island through June 30, 2027, and there are bike rentals at every terminal.
Take Peter Pan from South Station to SSA Woods Hole and walk on the ferry, 3.5–4 hours in all, year-round.
A bus shelter at the end of a tree-lined street in Vineyard Haven, a bus parked behind it. Without a car, the bus from Boston connects to the ferry: ride to Woods Hole and walk aboard.
Logan Terminal C to MVY puts you on-island in under 2 hours door-to-door, a big help on summer Fridays.
MBTA commuter rail to New Bedford plus the Seastreak ferry: ~$60–70 one-way, no bridge traffic.
Cape Air leaves from the same terminal (40 min). The Peter Pan bus goes directly from Logan to Woods Hole with no South Station transfer, and the free Silver Line SL1 reaches South Station for more options. An Uber to Woods Hole runs ~$130–135 (surge can hit $200+).
Hy-Line’s high-speed boat runs from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs, handy if you’re already on the Cape.
The Island Queen from Falmouth passing the Oak Bluffs fishing pier, a small boat alongside.
A bike costs $5.25 on the SSA, $4 on the Island Queen (the cheapest) and $8.50 on Hy-Line; Cape Air takes no bikes. Leashed dogs ride free on the Steamship Authority; the Island Queen takes leashed or crated pets free too, and the other lines set their own pet rules and fees, so check when you book. The SSA has elevators, accessible restrooms and shuttle lifts, and all VTA buses have ramp boarding.
SSA walk-on $11 | Island Queen $20 | Hy-Line $42 | Seastreak $49 | Cape Air from about $199 | JetBlue fares vary | Peter Pan bus $24–40 | CapeFLYER train $22
More detail: the complete ferry guide, the day trip from Boston and NYC, and for getting around the island the car-free guide and VTA schedule. After Labor Day the seasonal boats stop in stages: Seastreak NYC at Labor Day weekend, the Falmouth–Edgartown Pied Piper by mid-September (confirm the last day with the operator), Island Queen and Seastreak New Bedford on October 12. Details in what changes after Labor Day.
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Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. 
Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. 
Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one price range. No, every route needs a connection. Most people drive or ride the Peter Pan bus to Woods Hole and walk onto the Steamship Authority ferry, which runs year-round and takes 45 minutes to Vineyard Haven. Our complete ferry guide compares every boat.
The bus plus a walk-on ferry. Peter Pan runs from South Station and Logan straight to the Woods Hole pier for $24 to $40 one-way, and the Steamship Authority walk-on fare is $11. Plan on 3.5 to 4 hours total, any time of year.
Flying. Cape Air leaves Logan Terminal C and lands at MVY in about 40 minutes, year-round, from about $199 one-way. JetBlue flies the same route from late June into October. Flying helps most on summer Fridays, when Cape traffic can add hours. See our MVY airport guide.
Usually not. The Woods Hole boat is the only car ferry, peak car fares run $127 to $168 each way, and reservations sell out fast. Most people leave the car at the SSA lots in Falmouth ($25 a day with a free shuttle), walk on, and ride the fare-free VTA buses; our car-free guide shows how.
Yes. The Island Queen from Falmouth is the day-trip favorite: 35 minutes, $30 round-trip, passengers only, with a $20 cash parking lot. An early start from Boston helps, since the drive to Falmouth takes 75 to 90 minutes without traffic. Our one-day itinerary plans the hours on island.
Dogs ride leashed on the Steamship Authority boats, and the Island Queen takes leashed or crated pets free too; other lines set their own rules, so check before you book. Bikes cost $5.25 each way on the SSA and $4 on the Island Queen. Cape Air does not carry bikes or surfboards.
Island tip of the day Shopping No. 31 of 86 New tip at midnight, island time
The Chappy Ferry costs $5/person round-trip and $17 for a car with driver. Cards work at the Edgartown-side kiosk; bring cash for the boat itself.
The twelve things that catch first-timers on Martha's Vineyard, from car reservations and the two ferry terminals to resident-only beaches, the last bus from Aquinnah and cash for the Chappy Ferry, each with an easy fix, plus the fall and winter dates.
Parking for the Woods Hole ferry: there is none at the terminal, so here are the three Steamship Authority lots (Palmer Avenue, Thomas B. Landers, Cataumet), the 2026 rates ($25 a day April to October, $20 otherwise), the free shuttle timed to every sailing, when to arrive, the annual and off-season permits, the drop-off rule and the cheaper Island Queen lot in Falmouth Harbor.
How to get a Steamship Authority car reservation to Martha's Vineyard: the February opening and its virtual waiting room, the residents' head start, the five-reservation limit, the wait list that works, the 2026 fares ($127 midweek, $168 summer weekends), the free first change and the 14-day refund rule, no standby, and why most visitors should leave the car in Falmouth.
Providence and Rhode Island to Martha's Vineyard without crossing Cape Cod: the Seastreak from New Bedford (50 minutes, $84 round trip, 30 minutes from Providence) and the Vineyard Fast Ferry from Quonset Point (95 to 105 minutes, from $115, dogs ride free), both with $15 parking at the dock, plus Amtrak's connecting bus for a car-free trip. Which boat, when, and what it costs.
The Hy-Line ferry from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs: about an hour, $42 each way with the fuel surcharge, children and bike fares, the 2026 season, the Ocean Street terminal and its $10 to $30 lots and shuttle, the CapeFLYER and bus connections from Boston, and an honest comparison with the cheaper Island Queen and Steamship boats.
The Island Queen ferry from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs: 35 minutes, $30 round trip, its own $20 lot 200 yards from the dock, seven sailings a day in summer, the 2026 season (May 22 to October 12) and fall timetable, fares for children and bikes, why it beats the Steamship for Cape day trips, and its honest limits (no cars, no dogs).
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